Volume controlled saxophone mouthpiece



u 1, 1950 c. D. BERRY 2,517,077

VOLUME CONTRQLLED SAXAPHONE MOUTHPIECE Filed March 24, 1948 Fig" 4 1 27.5. R97 6 6* Ni .0 3 ll 2 2 INVENTORY CARL Q BERRY A'ITD RN EYS Pa tented Aug. 1 1950 VOLUME CONTROLLED SAXOPHONE MOUTHPIECE Carl D. Berry, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application March 24, 1948, Serial No. 16,743

4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates generally to musical wind instruments of the clarinet type, and more specifically to an improved volume controlled saxophone mouthpiece or beak, for the instrument, by means of which an unlimited control of the available volume of wind passing through the mouthpiece, may be attained by the musician or saxophone player. ihe mouthpiece is fashioned as an integral article of manufacture, from molded plastic material, with facility and low cost of production, and it may with convenience be attached to the tube of the saxophone to provide a comfortable and durable technically correct appliance, which may with equal facility be removed when desired.

The molded, integral appliance is fashioned with the necessary contour, shape, and formation that permit facile mounting on the instrument without necessity for the use of special fastening devices, and the reinforced strength and space of the mouthpiece renders it durable and practically free from breakage due to excess moisture or pressure.

Means are provided for securing or affixing the reed to the reed-opening in such manner as to eliminate the probability of warping of the reed and avoiding buzzy-reedy tones, and due to the mounting of the reed less pressure thereon is required in the production of the musical tones in the instrument.

The invention consists essentially in an integral article of manufacture, in which its parts are combined and arranged, as will hereinafter be described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a complete example of a physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged in accord with one mode I have devised for the practical application of the principles of the invention. It will however be understood that changes and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these exemplifying drawings and structures, within the scope of my claims, without departing from the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a topplan view of a mouthpiece in which my invention is embodied; Figure 2 is a side view of the mouthpiece; and Figure 3 is a bottom view showing the reed-opening.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the mouthpiece at line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Figures 5 and 6 are respectively, transverse sectional views at lines 5--5 and 66 in Fig. 1 through the intake duct and reed opening; and

Figures '7 and 8 are respectively, transverse sectional views at lines 'l! and 88 in Fig. 1 through the body of the mouthpiece.

As indicated in the exterior views of the drawings, the mouthpiece or beak is provided with an exterior flat plane face I, upon which the reed is mounted to project over the longitudinally extending and elongated U-shaped intake slot or opening that is bounded by the opposed edge walls 2, and 3. The top of the mouthpiece is fashioned with a convexly curved face 4 for the upper lip, which face converges with the lower plane face against which the lower lip presses.

The body 5 of the mouthpiece has an exterior taper toward its free end or mouth, and the body is formed with an interior cylindrical chamber 6 that opens through a reduced base or collar 1 into, and by means of which, the mouthpiece is attached on the tube of the instrument or saxophone. To insure durability and prevent breakage the cylindrical base or attaching collar is reinforced by means of a pair of diametrically arranged and longitudinally extending lugs or wings 8, 8, the outer edges of which merge with the exterior surface of the tapered piece.

The open cylindrical chamber 6 merges with the intake duct 9 having the usual interior flat wall Hi, and this outwardly flaring interior duct, from its mouth to its inner end, is divided by an integral wall or partition ll of elongated triangular shape, having its apex terminating at the mouth of the intake duct and its wider end projecting, slightly, into the chamber 6. The exterior edge l2 of the partition is flush with the plane face I of the mouthpiece, and the inner end 13 of the partition terminating within the chamber 8 and disposed transversely of the chamber, afford a rigid and strongly braced sustaining element for the vibrating reed bridging the U-shaped opening of the mouthpiece.

The partition or separator, while extending, generally, longitudinally of the mouthpiece, is arranged diagonally of the intake duct and opening, its inner end I3 terminating at or approximately near the center of the chamber 6 and its outer or apex end terminating laterally of the mouth of the intake duct, to provide two separated spaces of different volume capacities within the intake duct.

The diagonally extending baffle wall or partition 1 l enables the musician or saxophone-player to provide an unlimited control of the available volume of wind passing through one or the other of the passages, or jointly through both passages of the duct, in the interpretation of a musicapacities.

2. As an article of manufacture, plastic integral mouthpiece for a saxophone, said mouthpiece" having an openin over which the forward part of a reed is positioned and an interior intake duct, a longitudinally extending diagonallv'ar ranged partition of elongated'triangular shape dividing the duct into separated passages of different volume capacities, and said partition having an outer edge flush with the plane of the walls ofthe reed opening.

3.- Ina mouthpiece for a musical instr'ument'of the reed type, the combination which comprises a substantially hollow body member having a tubularmounting base and'a tone chamber ineluding" an inclined upper wall near the forward end of the body member, sidewalls and a 'base' with an opening in the base opposite-said upper wall and over whichthe forward part of a reed is to be positioned, and a vertically'positioned longitudinally disposed partition extended downwardly from said upper wall with the lower edge thereof positioned to engage thawed and divid-" irig- 'said'tone chamber into-separated compartments for controlling'the volume of sound, the outer end of said partition being positioned'closer to one of said side walls'than to the otherand with the opposite or inner end thereof positioned substantially onthe center of the body member.

4. In a mouthpiecefor a musical instrument for" the reed type, the combination which comprises a substantially hollow body member having a tubular mounting base and a tone chamber including an inclined upper wall near the forward end of the body member, side walls and a base with an opening in the base opposite said upper wall and over which the forward part of a reed is to be positioned, and a vertically positioned longitudinally disposed partition extended downwardly from said upper wall with the lower edge thereof positioned to engage the reed and dividing said tone chamber into separated compartments for controlling the volume of sound, the outer 'end of said partition being positioned closer to one of said side walls than to the other and with the opposite or inner end thereof posi- REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 896,296 Harper Dec. 20, 1907 999,080 Perdeu, Sr. Nov. 2, 1909 1,169,358 Schilzonyi Jan. 25, 1916 1,629,932 Simpson May 12, 1924 2,146,179 Fitchhorn Feb. 7, 1938 2,195,992 Mausolf Apr 2, 194i) 2,385,752 Wilson Sept. 25,1945 2,397,599 Brilhart Apr. 2, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date r 407,145 Germany Aug. 21, 1923 

